Sunday, November 6, 2011

This race actually happened BEFORE the monster dash half marathon. It was a really unique race for a number of reasons. First off, the race was organized by a Macalester student (a Somali student who graduated from Minneapolis South High School) with support from American Refugee Committee (an organization I feel a special connection to thanks to my inspiring good friend who enacts her passion for refugee rights everyday at ARC). Appropriately, the race was a 5k run/walk to raise money for hunger relief in Somalia. Local organizations and high schools were involved so I saw many a familiar face at the start line on the windy Sunday October morning.

Joan and I decided to run a couple warm up miles over to the University of Minnesota flats on east river parkway. The course was gorgeous; it covered trails and floating walkways along the river road that I had never run on before. Judging from the relatively small number of racers (350 as compared to the thousands I am used to), Joan and I thought we may have a chance to compete to be the first female finishers.

Running around a 7 min pace, we cruised through the woods. The race totally brought me back to xc races at Macalester. I was pushing it hard and I was trying to keep up with Joan. This was total deja vu. My major moment of near collapse occurred when we hit the first floating walkway. Initially, I didn't realize that the walkway was floating! So, I thought that I was FAINTING! The feeling on the walkway felt remarkably similar to when I passed out riding my bike a number of years ago. Fortunately, Joan said something like, "I feel like we are in Disney World! These walkways are crazy..." I felt immediate relief!

At the turn around, we discovered we were in third/fourth place for the women runners, only to follow another woman about our age and a ten year old girl. We thought she was our same arch nemesis whom we encountered at a relay race earlier in the summer, but later I discovered that she was the 5th grade sister of one of my Washburn runners! Hurray! A new recruit! We decided to hold our positions and not let another lady pass us. Sorry ladies. We crossed the finish line as third and fourth. I was exhausted and proud; Joan could've run another mile.

Overall, we had such a great time and I was thrilled to participate in such a cool fundraiser. The energy of the race organizers and all the volunteers made the race extremely special; a reminder that the Twin Cities is a true hub for positive work and change.

Local high school students playing Postal Service on marimbas (or marimba like instruments).

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Go Big. It was the perfect morning for a PR- dad was visiting, the weather was cool and sunny, and I felt energized and capable. Dad remarked how relaxed I seemed in comparison to other early morning pre-race preparations he'd witnessed. Running a handful of marathons does tend to put other races into perspective. That said, I hadn't really built up this race in terms of any consistent training plan. My fall workout schedule was basically a few short/easy runs, a fast run with my high school runners, and a long run on the weekends. My weekly mileage was around 30 miles on average. This isn't very much for me. Yet, I ran the TC 10 mile a few weekends before the Monster Dash and my time was only a couple minutes slower than last year. So, I knew I could PR if I was ready to accept a little pain at the end. I also knew that it was my last chance before snowfall to hit a half marathon PR. So...why not, right?

Miles 1-3

Mike cheering for me in front of our alma mater!

Easy, fast. I had on my ipod shuffle and I was loving the tunes. This was my first race listening to music; it definitely won't be my last. Running west down Summit is like a reward after running up it during the Twin Cities marathon. This photo is waving to Mike and Dad cheering at Macalester!!!!My first split was in the vicinity of 8:40. Then, my garmin turned off somehow. I restarted it at the 3 mile mark in case I might want to check my pace later in the race.

Two block shots please??!

Miles 3-6The familiar part of River Road heading towards the Ford Plant. I felt good. My music died (wah). I didn't check my Garmin for the rest of the race. I knew I was running faster than my usual pace on long runs, so there was no point of freaking myself out (if my pace was slower than expected, I would feel bad...if it was faster, I might slow). I decided to focus on my form, my breathing, and keep up my pace. I saw Dad and Mike cheering on the parkway right after mile 6!

Miles 7-9

Looking for me after mile 9.

I could feel my body getting a little bit worn down, but I tried to not let my mind go there. I kept my pace and focused on not letting this particular heavy footed/heavy breathing woman get too far ahead of me. She was breathing harder than me so I knew I should be running at least as fast as her. Dad and Mike cheered me on a little after mile 9!!!!

Mile 10

Got my shot blocks! Heavy footed lady right next to me. hee.

It was a real crush to the soul when we passed the 10 mile finish line. I tried not to look. I also avoided looking at the pacers and their pace signs. I tried this strategy after feeling really let down at the Madison Marathon when I fell behind my pacer.

Mile 11-11 1/2Big uphill in the more unfamiliar part of river/shepard road. Also there was horrible angsty singer at the top of the hill. I made a mental note to write a thank you to Team Ortho for the great race minus the 11 1/2 mile band. Oh my lord. I wanted to run faster so I didn't have to listen to the depressing music. I guess maybe that was their intent?

off to finish the race!

Mile 12 to finish.Slowed down a bit after the big hill but then started to pass people as we headed into the last mile. I didn't pass heavy breather, but I closed the gap and I wasn't far behind her at the finish line. I saw Mike immediately after I crossed the finish. The clock time was 1:51, so I knew I ran a personal record. When we checked the results at home, I was totally ecstatic to see that I ran a 1:48!!! I felt like I really hung in there at the end and gave it my all. I was so excited that my dad was there to see me race!